WNBA’s Breanna Stewart: Why Don’t Professional Female Athletes Get the Same Attention As Men?

At last night’s ESPY Awards, an awards show one always forgets about until it’s just a tiny bit too late, Breanna Stewart accepted the award for Best Female Athlete. In her speech, she made a plea for the entire sports media to begin taking women’s professional athletes as seriously as they do men.

“During my time in college, I received an enormous amount of media attention. I am grateful for that,” she began. “And now that I am in the WNBA, playing with other amazing female athletes, I’m trying to understand why we, as professional female athletes, don’t receive anywhere near the fame. This has to change. I know that everyone in this room loves and supports women and girls in sports and wants to be a part of that change, right?” The crowd responded with cheers and applause. “Equality for all takes each of us making an effort. Thank you for this honor and together let’s be better.”